At the Heritage, exhibit showcases the art of illustrator Wendell Minor

Jody Feinberg The Patriot Ledger

Saturday

Jun 9, 2018 at 2:15 AM

You can’t judge a book by its cover, but some covers are so compelling you want to read the book. That’s the case with artist Wendell Minor, whose covers are recognized as works of art.

“He’s not a household name, but once people start looking, they realize they know him,” said Amanda Wastrom, curator of the exhibit “Wendell Minor’s America,” which runs through October 5 at Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich. “He’s a virtuoso when it comes to water color and gouache.”

The exhibit, adapted from one organized in 2014 by The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, presents the inspiring 52-year personal and artistic journey of this award-winning artist, who began his career at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, joined a New York City design studio, and started his own firm. Minor has designed more than 2,000 book covers and illustrated more than 25 children's picture books.

When Minor was in the early years of his career as an illustrator, the Pulitzer-prize author David McCullough, who lives in Hingham, was impressed with his ability to capture historical periods and landscapes. He hired him to do the cover of his 1992 “Harry Truman” and also asked him to create the covers of “John Adams,” “1776” and “The Wright Brothers.”

“If he believed I could do it, I had to believe it too,” said Minor, who grew up poor in rural Illinois and struggled in school because of his dyslexia, in the exhibit’s video.

Minor went on to do covers of books by best-selling authors James Michener, Jodi Picoult, Mary Higgins Clark, Harper Lee, Jack London, and hundreds of other writers, but he eventually focused his gifts on children’s books. When Minor switched his focus in the 1990s, children’s book illustration had become more exciting because of advancements in full-color printing.

Many of his books tell the story of major figures and events in American history or about children exploring or facing a challenge amidst the beauty of the American natural landscape - the Mojave Desert, New England beaches and Midwestern farms. Not relying on photographs from others for his illustrations, Minor researched and spent time in the landscape of his books.

“Words paint pictures in the mind,” he said. “I have always wanted to bring those pictures alive in paint. In a good picture book, children should be able to get the story without the words.”

In many ways, his illustrations go beyond that, creating an atmosphere not conveyed by the words. In the exhibit, there are illustrations from his books about Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Rachel Carson and Willa Cather. He conveys the wonder and curiosity of a young boy during the American Revolution in “Ben’s Revolution: Benjamin Russell and The Battle of Bunker Hill” by Nathaniel Philbrick and during Lincoln’s funeral train journey in “Abraham Lincoln Comes Home” by Robert Burleigh. In “Cliffhanger” by Jean Craighead George, a boy beams with pride and love after he has scaled a rock face in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming and rescued a dog.

“Wendell has a drive to get every historic and landscape detail just right,” Wastrom said. “And his characters are not archetypes, but have specific personalities. He has great respect for children and makes work that is very accessible for them.”

He also took pride in his collaborations with people who entrusted him to depict their life. In "Reaching for the Moon" and "Look to the Stars," Minor worked with Buzz Aldrin. In some cases, the collaboration lasted for years, such as with Jean Craighead George, author of the classic "Julie of the Wolves," about a native Alaskan girl who lives with wolves.

“Night Flight” by Robert Burleigh, about Amelia Earhart’s 1932 transatlantic flight, is one of Wastrom’s favorites.

“The tension comes through, and it’s a great example of his realism,” said Wastrom, noting that to illustrate it, Minor tracked down a model of the plane she piloted, as well as hired a female model similar in size to the aviator.

Not just atmospheric, his illustrations convey deep emotions. In the cover illustration for “Sitting Bull Remembers” by Ann Turner, the Sioux leader has a face that speaks of his determination and suffering. And his animal illustrations are amusing and charming, such as the penguins sliding through the snow in “If You Were a Penguin,” which he wrote with his wife Florence Minor.

Minor, 74, remains prolific and is working on a book about Norman Rockwell, one of the artists he admires along with Winslow Homer and the Wyeths. His award-winning books have frequently been named on the annual lists for Notable Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies, Outstanding Science Trade Books and IRA Teachers’ Choices. His books have also received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and Parents’ Choice Awards and been featured on PBS’s The Reading Rainbow.

To expand the exhibit’s appeal to children, the Heritage version has a studio area, modeled on Minor’s work space in rural Connecticut, where children can draw and see pictures Minor made when he was a child. And listening to Minor talk about the teachers who encouraged his artistic talent and his sense of purpose is likely to inspire kids, as well as adults. (Be sure to bring children to the Hidden Hollow Playground and the antique carousel where unlimited rides are included in the price of admission).

“Drawing was my self-defense for not feeling stupid when I couldn’t read well,” he said in the video. “I decided I would be an artist. I didn’t know how that would happen, but I was determined that it would. (Later in life), I had no idea where (a project) was going to lead…and that’s one of the mysteries of life.”

Reach Jody Feinberg at jfeinberg@patriotledger.com. Follow her on Twitter at JodyF_Ledger.